California is facing a crisis of authority. Increasing physical threats against health officers over their COVID-19 rules reveal a fracture between the public and its leaders. Rules are staples of democratic societies that emerge from those we choose to govern us. We stop at traffic lights, pay taxes and wait in line to purchase groceries....

All students and families in Silicon Valley deserve access to high quality education and a pathway to college and viable careers. Such is not the case today in the areas of San Jose that encompass the poorest and least affluent neighborhoods, such as East San Jose, where income is at the poverty level and families...

In the midst of a scandal over Facebook posts made by current and former members of his city’s police department, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo pushed back against calls to defund the police by posting and later deleting a tweet that compared racist cops to teachers. “And when teachers are caught saying vile things,” the...

Today a constitutional convention will take place, proposing changing how people are represented and how government operates. A frenzy of proposals contemplating complex restructuring, an extension of current leaders’ term-limited time in office, the value of neighborhood representation, consolidation of power and increasing voter participation will be considered in a 12-hour political showdown. This affront...

The rush to change the City Charter to a strong mayor form of government is a rush that is driven not as much by need but by political expediency by special interests. The voters, if the measure goes to the November ballot, will be asked to lengthen the term of the current mayoral office holder,...

A house divided can fall and the city of San Jose is barely standing. The infighting, regionalism and special interests are tearing the city apart and preventing the approval of policies that could move us forward together. From business opportunities, homelessness, natural and manmade emergencies, the operations of city government is slow, lethargic and often...

Cupertino has a long history of being at the forefront of innovation. It is the home of Apple Computer, after all. Now, in 2020, I see everyone around me adapting and changing to meet the challenges of COVID-19 and it makes it obvious that we are a community that continues to lead by growing, innovating...

I learned early on in life about a sometimes invisible and vulnerable segment of our community — the developmentally disabled. Although not a large population in Santa Clara County, and despite their disabilities, they and their caretakers have admirably advocated for their needs. So, I did what I could over the years as an elected...

For those of you who believe All Lives Matter — you’re correct. I do not believe you’ll ever see or hear anyone in the Black Lives Matter movement say different. There is anger, angst, anxiety, sorrow, remembrance — right now, there are a plethora of feelings that have materialized due to recent events, and they...

On the afternoon protesters shut down Southbound 101 in San Jose, I was working in a mobile clinic parked by the local jail, where COVID-19, law enforcement and race converge in real time. Examining my patient, I paused for a few seconds, stethoscope hovering over his chest, as the whir of a helicopter passed. My...